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Sewer report finds finances in order

Jump in construction cost significant factor in North Saanich sewer upgrade

Lack of public consultation, rising construction costs and a poorly developed business case were major issues in the Deep Cove, Patricia Bay and McDonald Park sewer project, according to the consulting company hired by North Saanich council to conduct a review of the project.

The review report, which cost council $30,000, was presented at the Aug. 22 Committee of the Whole meeting.

Project lead Bernadette O’Connor of Opus International Consultants summed up the report.

She highlighted the spike in project cost from $9 million in 2001 to $14.5 million in 2004, when construction costs across Canada jumped. While she said there was no way council could have predicted the cost increase, it could have been avoided if the project hadn’t been delayed for three years.

She defended the then-current council’s rationale for the project, citing the requirement under the Liquid Waste Management Plan to find permanent alternatives to on-site sewage disposal.

“The evidence that was presented to the council of the day was sufficient for them to make the decision that they did,” she said.

But she said if the public had understood council’s reasoning, the response would have been better.

“Don’t just tell them what’s going on, you’ve got to tell them the why,” she said.

She noted that while there was no legal requirement to hold a referendum, a non-binding one might have alerted council to the widespread dissatisfaction with the project.

“There was, and possibly still is today, a perception amongst some members of the public that a referendum was required, or that sufficient alternatives had not been considered,” said the report.

Residents also weren’t aware that the first expected cost of $9 million was only a rough estimate, she said.

“Because the (amount of) grant money was based on the initial application (in 2001), (the project) was a huge burden on the community, in particular the taxpayers involved.”

The report also mentioned that documenting the project through its various stages would have helped council focus on the project’s original intent when problems arose.

Council generally welcomed the recommendations, saying they were useful reflections for future projects.

Councillor Peter Chandler said he believed the decision to implement the sewer system had been based on ideology instead of good management.

“You can find all number of ways to justify what you’re doing, that’s why we have information and accuracy,” he said.

Councillor Dunstan Browne questioned the report’s conclusion that none of the $14.5 million amount was whittled away.

“You found nothing wrong with the financial aspects of the whole contract?” he asked O’Connor, who said yes.

Councillor Craig Mearns said he wished Opus had tracked down the then-current administrative staff and engineers, who could have revealed that they consulted extensively with the public.

“This was the largest project the municipality had ever done,” Mearns said.